share this

flying higher

helping an airport to redesign and launch a VIP product

Our client, a major European airport, wanted to transform its service for premium travellers travelling through the airport into a commercial product.

our approach

Having been available for many years, our client’s offer to premium travellers (VIPs) needed a thorough overhaul. We began by assessing the existing operating model from both commercial and operational perspectives to establish the potential service offer, the perceived value from existing customers, and the reliability of end-to-end processes. We then assessed the market size and penetration levels based on price sensitivity of similar products, at other airports, in private jet aviation, and premium services in other markets.

Once the business case was approved, we created the roadmap which would enable the service to keep going during the transformation to new ways of operating. We worked alongside the airport team to establish new sales distribution channels and commercial arrangements, improve the existing facility, change the security and other operational practices and launch the new brand.

As VIP passenger uptake increased, we phased in a new organisational structure and collaborative ways of working, enabling in-house and third party suppliers to act as one team in order deliver an exceptional service every day.

share this

our insights

Rational data analysis and insight alone are not sufficient to gauge the potential of a new service, especially when there are few other examples to benchmark. Rationality needs to be complemented by courage and gut instinct to support the belief that what you’re doing will be successful.

Changing embedded procedures and ways of working takes time. Creating process maps and clear plans is just the first step. For people to really believe in the change requires a safe environment that allows them to learn on the ground to plan, run and adapt. Fail fast or succeed quickly: both are good outcomes.

the results

EBITDA was improved by £1 million within 12 months.

A clear customer value proposition and strategy has enabled our client to trust the process of creating realistic business cases for how new revenue can be created when the usual evidence isn’t available.